←ExploreENTITY · SOUND SYSTEMSir Coxsone DownbeatWell supportedClement "Coxsone" Dodd's sound system, a dominant force in 1950s and 1960s dances and a seedbed for the Studio One label.Share a memoryCorrect this recordAdd a source leadAt a glanceTypesound systemConfidenceWell supportedEraOpen era →Technology, recording & industryConnectionsoperated byClement "Coxsone" DoddCoxsone ran the Downbeat sound before building Studio One.operated byClement "Coxsone" DoddCoxsone ran the Downbeat sound before building Studio One.associated withOrange StreetCoxsone Dodd's Muzik City record shop stood on Orange Street (Reggae Routes).performed atCho-Co-Mo LawnCoxsone's sound played and clashed at Kingston lawns including Cho-Co-Mo (Bass Culture).associated withDowntown KingstonCoxsone's Downbeat operated out of the downtown Kingston sound system scene (Bass Culture).competed withDuke Reid the TrojanCoxsone Downbeat and Duke Reid's Trojan were the era's fiercest rival sounds (Bass Culture).competed withTom the Great SebastianCoxsone rose challenging the reigning Tom the Great Sebastian sound (Solid Foundation).linked by · deejayed forCount MachukiMachuki was the pioneering deejay on Coxsone's Downbeat.linked by · worked withTheophilus BeckfordBeckford recorded as a foundational pianist for Coxsone Dodd (Reggae Routes).linked by · influencedTom the Great SebastianTom the Great Sebastian is seen as the originator whose model Coxsone followed (Bass Culture).linked by · produced by"Easy Snappin'" — Theophilus Beckford'Easy Snappin'' was produced by Clement 'Coxsone' Dodd, proprietor of the Downbeat sound (Solid Foundation).linked by · competed withKing Edwards the GiantA 'Big Three' rival in the foundation-era clashes.linked by · competed withSir Nick the ChampAn early Kingston rival as the scene expanded.linked by · associated withForrester's HallOperated in connection with Sir Coxsone's Downbeat sound.linked by · competed withVincent EdwardsClashed with Coxsone Dodd in the foundation era.linked by · competed withLord KoosA rival in the early-1950s Kingston dancehall.linked by · deejayed forKing StittKing Stitt succeeded Machuki on Downbeat.linked by · competed withSir Mike the Musical DragonKing Tubby recalled Sir Mike's set rivalling and even out-powering Downbeat and Trojan by the mid-1960s.linked by · associated withCount Smith the Blues BlasterBunny Lee recalled Count Smith the Blues Blaster later amalgamating with Coxsone's Downbeat.linked by · competed withVoice of the People (sound system)Buster set up in direct rivalry with his former employer's Downbeat set.linked by · deejayed forKing SportyNoel "King Sporty" Williams deejayed on Coxsone Dodd's Downbeat system in 1960s Kingston.linked by · associated withLabel scratchingDodd and rivals famously removed labels from exclusive US 78s to guard their identities.linked by · associated withThe Big Three sound systemsDownbeat was one of the mid-1950s Big Three.linked by · associated withSound quality as a clash weaponEarly sound rivalries were fought partly on amplification quality.linked by · documentsSolid Foundation (David Katz)It chronicles the founding sound systems and their builders.linked by · influenced byMetro DownbeatMetro Downbeat took its name in direct tribute to Sir Coxsone's Downbeat in Jamaica.In storiesStory · ProbableBeat Street and the Sound System WarsHow rival rigs, custom dubplates and selectors turned the dance into Jamaica's first media platform.Story · ProbableThe Downbeat and the Trojan: How Two Kingston Rivals Built the Sound SystemIn 1950s Kingston, Coxsone Dodd's Downbeat and Duke Reid's Trojan turned rival dances into the foundation of an entire music industry.Story · ProbableFrom Kingston to the Bronx: DJ Kool Herc and the Sound-System Roots of Hip-HopHow a Jamaican teenager carried the logic of the dancehall sound system into a South Bronx rec room and helped set hip-hop in motion.Story · Well supportedLawn kings of downtown KingstonHow fenced yards, imported 78s and crowned sound men turned 1950s Kingston dances into an industry.Story · ProbableFoundation sounds before the famous threeLong before Coxsone, Duke Reid and Prince Buster became reggae's founding trinity, a wider field of 1950s operators built the culture — and its DIY engineering habit followed Jamaican emigrants to London.
